Osteoporosis is a common condition in a way that more than 10 million people in India are affected by it every year. However, most people don’t know much about osteoporosis and how they can manage the condition. So, to help you keep yourself safe from this condition, let’s take a detailed look into the symptoms, causes, risk factors, and prevention of Osteoporosis in India. We’ll also go over the treatment options that you can avail, to help you stay healthy.
 

What Is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a disease that affects the bones in your body. It is more common in aging women than in men. The condition leads to the bones in your body becoming weak and brittle. Over time, as the condition develops, the brittle bones increase your risk of getting fractures quite easily. 

Any accident or injury in patients with osteoporosis leads to fractures quite easily and in advanced cases, patients can even get fractures from stretching or coughing. Due to this condition, the tissues in the bone that are constantly broken down and regenerated, fall behind and there is a deficiency of new tissue growth in the bones causing them to become weak and brittle. Now that you know what the condition is, let’s take a look into Osteoporosis symptoms and diagnosis in India.
 

Symptoms & Risk Factors of Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is common in women who have already gone through menopause. Without a medical diagnosis, it is difficult to detect osteoporosis early, because the condition doesn’t have any major early symptoms. However, as the condition progresses some of the common symptoms that patients experience are:

• Easily fractured bones caused even by small generally inconsequential injuries
• Curved spine or a stooped posture
• Back and neck pain
• Brittle fingernails
• Receding gums

Based on these symptoms, doctors use different diagnostic tests to try and understand the underlying condition and if it is in an advanced state or not. However, before we go into the diagnostics, let’s take a look at some of the common risk factors for osteoporosis.

• Family history or genetics play a crucial role in determining your risk of osteoporosis.
• Your ethnicity also plays a role as caucasian and Asian people are more likely to be affected by this condition.
• Your gender and if you are a woman from the races mentioned above, your risk of osteoporosis is higher than others.
• Lastly, women who are lean and small are at the highest risk of osteoporosis.
   

How Is Osteoporosis Diagnosed?

Osteoporosis is diagnosed using a low-power X-ray machine. The machine looks into your body to see the mineral proportions in your bones. Based on the reports, doctors can determine if you have osteoporosis or not. The diagnosis is painless and involves looking into some of the most commonly affected bones in your body namely your hip and back bone. Sometimes, bone density tests are also performed as a part of the diagnostic process to create a personalized treatment plan for the patient.
 

Treatment Options For Osteoporosis

Given the condition does not have a cure, there are still a number of treatment options for osteoporosis in India. The treatment of this condition can be done either with lifestyle changes or with medication. The exact procedure is decided upon your risk factors from the condition. 

Meaning, that if in the coming ten years, you are highly likely to get into a personal accident that can risk breaking your bones, doctors will put you on medication. Otherwise, they will recommend lifestyle changes to help you stay healthy. 

And how is it determined, if you will be in an accident or not? This discretion is based on your age, underlying health conditions, and your bone density test results. With that being said, here are some of the most commonly used treatment processes for osteoporosis.

• Denosumab: Denosumab is one of the most popular medications used to treat osteoporosis. It is injected directly into the skin every six months and it helps improve the bone density of the patient. As it stands now, using this medication is only reserved for advanced cases, because the patients need to go through this treatment indefinitely once they start.
   
• Bisphosphonates: Similar to denosumab this is an oral medication that has the same purpose, only this is used in combination with calcium and vitamin D supplements. This medication is one of the most common treatment practices for osteoporosis and is very effective in helping patients with symptoms.

Conclusion

Now that you know about osteoporosis and how it’s treated, make sure you understand the risk factors and be vigilant of your health. From above the age of 30, you should go for regular checkups and health screening tests to minimize your risk of this condition. So, if you want to live healthily and protect yourself against osteoporosis, make sure you visit MASSH for your regular checkups. We specialize in preventive care and help you make lifestyle and dietary changes that help you live healthily and free from the risk of conditions. Even if you have osteoporosis, our personalized treatment plans can help you improve your symptoms and help you live normally. To learn more about our treatment options, visit our website today!